Residents await help in flood-hit Tamil Nadu

Another expert said the floods in the city are most directly linked to the El Nino weather pattern, when the waters of the Pacific Ocean get warmer than usual.

“Leaving for Chennai to take stock of the situation due to the devastating floods”, he tweeted. “In view of the prevailing conditions in Chennai and in the interest of safety of its guests, crew and aircraft, Jet Airways has cancelled all its flights to and from Chennai until December 6, 2015”, the Airways said in a statement.

Relief efforts were proving to be challenging as some roads have been washed away and telephone networks were down, home minister Rajnath Singh said in Parliament on Thursday.

#ChennaiRainsHelp: Are our loved ones safe?

There was sporadic rainfall on Thursday, after a 24-hour storm dumped as much as 345mm (14 inches) of rain on the city earlier this week.

“We live in a city expecting that we will have access to basic facilities”.

“We don’t have any food”.

Meanwhile, soldiers set up 25 temporary shelters and community kitchens and installed portable toilets.

Chennai city authorities were deploying bulldozers and bags of concrete to fix collapsed roads and bridges.

“People of India stay with people of Tamil Nadu in this hour of need”, he said after the survey in which he was accompanied by Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan, who hails from Tamil Nadu.

The federal government pledged US$141 million (S$199 million) in immediate relief.

More than 5,000 houses were under water and many people were still trapped on rooftops, while others crowded in relief camps.

Water levels began receding as Chennai counted one more day of no rains on Friday morning. “Those with big vehicles are driving around rescuing people”, she said. “Food, clothes – all gone”.

The rains in Tamil Nadu have played havoc since the last few days and have disrupted normal life.

As Indian authorities intensify a massive search and rescue operation in flood-battered Chennai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, more than 90 Malaysians are still stranded in their hotel rooms and homes. “Our coordination is with the State Government and we have spoken to the Home Secretary and the relief commissioners as well”, Singh added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today Met CM Jayalalithaa and announced Rs 1000 Crore Immediate Relief fund To Tamilnadu, Rs 1000 crores worth Central assistance as first installment of relief taking total amount for flood-hit Tamil Nadu over and above the Rs 940 crore package announced last week. We have not received any news on the casualties of the stranded in flood-hit Chennai.

The national weather office predicted three more days of torrential downpours in the southern state of almost 70 million people.

The water flow in Adyar river has come down as has the quantum of surplus water released into the river from the Chembarambakkam lake.

However, communication lines – landlines and mobile connections – continued to be disrupted.